FOUR STARS Chaos runs rampant in the kitchen of a New York restaurant. DRAMA US Spanish & English #LACOCINA Starring Raúl Briones, Rooney Mara Directed with considerable nerve by relative newcomer Alonso Ruizpalacios, LA COCINA is a frenetic exploration of the chaos, camaraderie, and class tensions simmering beneath the surface of a busy New York restaurant kitchen. Think of it as a cipher for modern America with all its inequity, anger, aggression and aspiration. Inspired b

THREE AND A HALF STARS The life and times of French crooner Charles Aznavour is given the biopic treatment. PERIOD DRAMA FRANCE French #MONSIEURAZNAVOUR Starring Mehdi Idir, Marie-Julie Baup The latest off the biopic production line is the story of French crooner, Charles Aznavour. A protege of Edith Piaf and pin-up boy of the 1960’s, he became one of the country’s most respected and adored singers.  MONSIEUR AZNAVOUR is clearly a passion-project for the writing-directing pa

THREE AND A HALF STARS The true story of Peter Greste, a journalist who was jailed for nearly a decade on trumped up charges. DRAMA AUSTRALIA English #THECORRESPONDENT Starring Richard Roxburgh, Rahel Romahn In this post-truth age of artifice and political construction, THE CORRESPONDENT is a poignant reminder of the importance of vigilance. Not so long ago, Australian journalist Peter Greste was reporting on the Arab Spring uprising when, in the blink of an eye, he was jail

FOUR STARS A man is wronged. Years later, armed with a new identity, he seeks revenge. PERIOD DRAMA FRANCE French #MONTECRISTO Starring Pierre Niney, Bastien Bouillion Another Alexandre Dumas page-turner has been given a vivid and, at three hours long, epic treatment by the directing couple who last year gave us four, swash-buckling hours with THE THREE MUSKETEERS . This time THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO tells his lengthy tale of muskets and misdeeds, incarceration and revenge.

THREE STARS Angus has two days to learn bass guitar, form a band and impress a girl. PERIOD DRAMA NZ English #HEADSOUTH Starring Ed Oxenbould, Benee It’s 1979 in the sleepy city of Christchurch, New Zealand. Teenage Angus ( Ed Oxenbould ) suddenly wakes up, metaphorically speaking, when Fraser, owner of the music store Middle Earth Records (yes, really) introduces him to punk.  It was like aliens had abducted is brain, so energetic, so intoxicating, so utterly different  was

THREE STARS Tired and ragged, Odysseus returns to Ithaca to find there's a lot of work to be done. PERIOD DRAMA UK #THERETURN Starring Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche Director Uberto Pasolini (STILL LIFE) isn’t extravagant. Gods, monsters, grand speeches – all stripped away from Homer’s Odyssey . It’s pared back to a bare-bones tale of a man washed ashore and the land, and people, he must move through to reclaim his place. In theory, it’s a shrewd approach. In practice, it l

FOUR AND A HALF STARS When a tsunami floods a young cat's home, he has to learn the power of teamwork to survive. ANIMATED DRAMA LATVIA #FLOW Starring a cat, a dog, a crane, a lemur and a capybara For animal lovers and cat people in particular, FLOW can be an anxious experience. Watching Gints Zilbalodis’s hypnotic, dialogue-free adventure feels a little like leaving home wondering whether you’ve shut all the windows: what if my cats escape? The anxiety is real, and Zilbalod

TWO STARS De Niro is both Vito and Frank, two gangsters with a grudge. PERIOD DRAMA US English #THEALTOKNIGHTS Starring Robert De Niro, Debra Messing Based on a true story, this is the oft-told tale of best friends who become best enemies. They’re also gangsters, European immigrants who find a new life in the US and squeeze a multi-billion dollar empire out of the American Dream. By the time we meet the Alto Knights - Frank Costello ( Robert De Niro ) and Vito Genovese (Robe

TWO STARS Mickey is an Expendable. His job is to die, be reprinted, and die another day. SCI-FI COMEDY DRAMA US English #MICKEY17 Starring Robert Pattinson, Mark Ruffalo On the run from loan-sharks, Mickey Barnes ( Robert Pattinson ) signs up as an Expendable on a Mission to colonise a new planet. He gets the dangerous jobs knowing that if he dies, his body will be reprinted and his memories uploaded to a brand new Mickey. By the time we join his story, we’re up to the seven

FOUR STARS Pansy is an angry woman who doesn't shy away from telling people what she thinks, no matter how rude she gets. DRAMA UK English #HARDTRUTHS Starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) is an extraordinarily angry woman and she’s not shy from telling people what she thinks - the first of many hard truths are levelled at her husband, her son, at strangers in the supermarket. It’s also clear to us that Pansy is suffering clinical dep